Most modern vehicles can be locked and unlocked using wireless key fob devices. Moreover, many modern vehicles utilize keyless remote devices (key fob devices having no physical key associated therewith) for vehicle access and startup. A new vehicle is typically sold with two or perhaps three key fob devices, and each key fob device includes a unique device identifier (ID), such as a digital key fob code. A key fob code can be associated with user-specific configuration settings, preferences, vehicle options, or the like. In this regard, driver-personalized settings can be implemented when the vehicle detects the presence of a particular key fob (these driver-specific settings can include: seat and mirror positions; instrument panel display options; entertainment system settings; navigation system settings; drivetrain operating modes; climate control system settings; etc.). Thus, the key fob code that identifies a first key fob for a vehicle can be linked to user-specific settings for a first driver, and the key fob code that identifies a second key fob for the same vehicle can be linked to user-specific settings for a second driver, and so on.
Traditional techniques associate vehicle personalization settings to key fobs. Accordingly, personalized vehicle settings linked to a particular key fob code will be activated whenever that key fob code is detected, regardless of who might be carrying the key fob and regardless of who might be driving the vehicle. Such traditional techniques make it difficult to assign and reassign users to key fobs in an ongoing manner. Moreover, such traditional methodologies can be inconvenient and frustrating for drivers who share key fobs.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a dynamic approach for assigning user-specific vehicle settings to drivers. In addition, it is desirable to have an improved approach for determining the identity of a driver based on information and/or data that can be detected by the vehicle (for purposes of implementing user-specific vehicle settings for the identified driver). Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.